Childbirths, Marriages Hit Record Low

Published on 2020/08/02 | Source

The number of childbirths and marriages hit an all-time low in May. Korea's population has been declining for seven months now.

According to Statistics Korea on Wednesday, only 23,001 babies were born across the country in May, down another 2,359 or 9.3 percent from a year earlier. Childbirths have declined for 54 months in a row.

But 24,353 people died in May, down 397 or 1.6 percent on-year.

Some 18,145 couples married, down a whopping 4,900 or 21.3 percent on-year.

The remaining population is getting more restless. Some 607,000 people registered new addresses in June, up 123,000 or 25.3 percent from a year earlier and the highest number since June 2015.

Gyeonggi Province topped the list with 12,668, followed by South Chungcheong Province (1,560) and North Chungcheong Province (1,094).

According to the Korea Appraisal Board, 138,578 homes were sold throughout the country last month, 2.5 times more than a year earlier and the highest number since November 2006.